


someday soon we all will be together

by allsassnoclass (brightblackholes)



Series: Ficmas 2020 [12]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, COVID-19, Christmas, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, they're home for break though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:14:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28584072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brightblackholes/pseuds/allsassnoclass
Summary: Michael calls Ashton late Christmas night.
Relationships: Michael Clifford/Ashton Irwin
Series: Ficmas 2020 [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2071215
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	someday soon we all will be together

**Author's Note:**

> Ficmas day 12! whoo!!!! Friends it has been a long journey for me but I am happy to end with this one.
> 
> Title is from "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" which is one of the best Christmas songs.

Michael’s parents have gone to bed by the time he gets to hear Ashton’s voice. He woke up this morning to a snapchat from him, a picture of his face half-obscured by his covers with morning light streaming in and the caption _Merry Christmas <3._ It made something ache deep in Michael’s gut, a longing to see that messy brown hair in person and lie on the same bed again, but his response went unopened for most of the day. For Ashton, Christmas is for family, and he respects that. Tonight is for them.

Michael makes a cup of hot cocoa and brings it to the living room, turning on the lights on the tree but not bothering with any other lamps. He doesn’t want to break the stillness of the house more than he has to, content to watch the rainbow string lights dancing around the tree and look at the ones flashing on the houses across the street.

They got fresh snow a few days ago, making the landscape seem like a winter wonderland despite assurances that it would be a brown Christmas weeks ago. Michael settles into the armchair by the window, wanting a good view of the peaceful night, and sips his cocoa while he waits for Ashton to call. He’s not left waiting long.

“Hi,” Ashton says, voice soft on the other end of the line so he doesn’t disturb his own family. He’s probably sitting in his own living room, too, because he doesn’t like to be in his bedroom in the basement if another room is available. The location is worth it to have his own bedroom, but he feels suffocated without a window.

The thought of them being mirror images in separate locations makes it feel like they’re closer.

“Hi. Merry Christmas.”

“How was your day?” Ashton asks. “I want to hear everything you did.”

Michael tells Ashton about his holiday, detailing the presents and big dinner that consumed the important parts of the day. Thanksgiving has always been the big holiday for his family, so not much of their Christmas traditions changed with the pandemic.

Back during spring, when the pandemic was still starting, they had raised the idea to each other of spending holidays together: Ashton would come to Michael’s for Thanksgiving and get to meet his extended family and Michael would spend Christmas with the Irwins. It’s the thing Michael is most upset about missing because of the pandemic.

Ashton’s Christmas was similar to his own, but they had a zoom call with his relatives and an afternoon of board games. Ashton and his mom both worked extra hard to keep Harry and Lauren entertained in order to distract from the disappointment of not getting to do the full extended family gathering and traditions. Ashton thinks they were successful, but Michael can hear how drained he is. He loves his siblings more than anything, but Michael wishes not for the first time that he didn’t feel the responsibility of taking care of them.

“They miss you, you know,” Ashton says. “Harry kept asking about you.”

Michael feels another ache in his chest. He still isn’t fully sure how to handle Ashton’s siblings, but he likes them. It would’ve been nice to spend time with them this break.

“Tell him I miss him, too. You can even tell Lauren I miss her, if you want,” Michael says, picking at the hem of his sweatshirt.

He was going to ask for one of Ashton’s before they left campus for Thanksgiving break, knowing that he wouldn’t see him for two months, but he forgot. He regrets that, now.

 _“I_ miss you,” Ashton says softly. Michael hums. They only live an hour away from each other, but they may as well be across the country with the pandemic. Anne Marie got a new job at a nursing home. It’s more consistent hours and pays better, but Ashton can’t risk bringing something back to her. Michael hasn’t been leaving the house, but both of his parents are working in-person now. They have protocols in place to ensure everyone is safe, but there’s always a risk.

“I miss you, too,” Michael says. “A lot.”

Being at home is lonely. Ashton has his siblings, but Michael is fully by himself until his parents get home at night. He almost wishes he had stayed at school, but without Calum in the apartment it would’ve been pointless.

“Maybe…”

Michael waits for him to finish the thought, but he doesn’t. The lights across the street flick between blue and red hypnotically.

“Maybe what?”

“I don’t want to get your hopes up too much, but I’ve been talking to Mom and we think it would be okay for me to come down. I told her about how you’re staying safe and your family is being smart, and she said that I could maybe stay over for New Years as long as it’s just us and your parents are okay with it.”

“Really?” Michael breathes. It seems almost too good to be true. Michael knows that they’re following rules more rigidly than a lot of other people, but the thought of seeing Ashton fills him with both anticipation and anxiety, even though there’s practically no way for him to get the virus and pass it to him.

“Really,” Ashton says. “You just have to ask your parents.”

Michael swallows, trying to contain everything building inside him. It’s not possible for him to have forgotten what it feels like to kiss Ashton or even hug him, but he’s long overdue for a reminder. He wants to see Ashton’s smile unobstructed by a phone screen or a mask. He wants to hold his hand and sit close enough to hear his breathing in quiet moments.

“They’ll say yes. They think seeing you is good for me.”

“Are they right?” Ashton asks.

“Yes, of course,” Michael says. “Sometimes I think you’re the only thing that’s kept me sane this year.”

There have been infinite late night phone calls and video chats and the occasional drive and ice cream when they could swing it, and each time Michael ends the night feeling a bit better than he did before. Being with Ashton pushes things back into alignment for him. He has a way of making everything seem brighter than Michael can conceive it is. He can’t imagine trying to navigate everything that has happened without him.

“Yeah,” Ashton says softly. “I feel the same way.”

Michael traces the lip of his mug, hot cocoa now lukewarm inside it.

“It won’t be like this forever,” Ashton says. “We can do Christmas together next year. We have a vaccine now.”

“What if it doesn’t go away?” Michael asks. He knows what the scientists say, but distribution will take forever, and people are already saying they don’t want to get the shot. The end still isn’t in sight, not to his eyes.

“If we move in together after you graduate, we’ll be our own family unit anyway,” Ashton says. “It won’t be like this forever.”

Michael hums.

“We have New Years now,” Ashton says. “Only one more week, then we’ll be together again.”

“I can handle a week,” Michael says. He takes a sip of his cocoa, eyes searching the sky for any visible stars and landing on the moon instead. It’s not quite full yet, but it’s getting there, a large bright spot in the otherwise dark sky.

“Hey Ash?” he asks.

“Yeah?”

“Are you by a window?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you see the moon from where you are?” Michael hears shifting on the other side of the phone, waiting with bated breath.

“Yeah, I can. It looks nice tonight.”

“I think so, too.”

Ashton huffs a gentle laugh.

“Looking at the same moon is almost like we’re there together, right?” he says.

“Yeah.” Michael smiles, comforted that they’re on the same page without him having to explain himself.

Sometimes he feels like Ashton is his moon, something bright and grounding in an otherwise dark year.

“Tell me something else you’ve done recently,” he requests. Ashton hums, then begins a tirade about the Christmas preparations he helped with earlier in the week. Michael settles into his chair, eyes on the moon, content to listen to him for the rest of the night.

They’re not together now, but they will be next week, and they will be again in the future. Michael has to let himself pretend for now, but it won’t be like this forever. He and Ashton will have other Christmases, and until then he’ll keep his voice in his ear and his eyes on the same moon.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr at [allsassnoclass!](http://allsassnoclass.tumblr.com)


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